Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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Question 100: To ask the Minister for Health and Children her views on the disclosure that the Health Service Executive handed back almost €100 million in unspent money to the Exchequer in 2006; the amount that was returned in 2005; the amount spent to date in 2007; the projects submitted to the HSE in 2005, 2006 and to date in 2007 related to new hospital beds, step down beds and new hospital equipment in 2006; the cost of same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17605/07]

P J Sheehan (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 139: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the location where the €97.7 million, allocated to the Health Service Executive by the Government was due to be spent; the reasons it was not spent; the action she will take to ensure that urgently needed resources are delivered; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17730/07]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 100 and 139 together.

The final out-turn on Vote expenditure for the Health Service Executive, in 2006, shows a capital saving of €114m of which €42m was used to offset a revenue overspend and a further €47m was used to offset a shortfall in Appropriations-in-Aid. This left a balance of €25m to be surrendered to the Exchequer. The Health Service Executive's Appropriation Account for 2006 will show an overall surrender of €365m, €25m capital and €340m in respect of the Long Stay Repayment Scheme. In 2005 there was an overall surrender of approximately €79m. The capital programme had a saving of €50m, non-capital programmes saved €4m and Appropriations-in-Aid showed a surplus of €25m.

With regard to expenditure to-date in 2007, the latest figures available from the Health Service Executive report total expenditure to the end of May as being approximately €4.8 billion against projected expenditure of €4.77 billion. Within these figures the trend in expenditure is much the same as in 2006. The capital spend is behind that planned, while the non-capital is running ahead of budgeted spend. I will be discussing corrective action with the CEO as a matter of urgency.

The capital programmes submitted by the HSE in each of the three years, and approved by me, included sufficient projects to absorb its capital allocation for each year. However, actual capital expenditure in 2005 and 2006 turned out to be less than had been planned. In relation to the HSE's capital programme, 2006 was a year of significant transition for the HSE with the establishment of improved arrangements for the planning, implementation and monitoring of the programme. The HSE's Capital Plan for 2006 included a large number of projects across the health sector, many of which were characterised by relatively low levels of required capital investment.

As the year progressed, the HSE endeavoured, where feasible, to introduce substitute projects to compensate for any projected availability of funding arising from slippage on the intended capital programme. The eventual year-end saving on capital expenditure arose mainly from a lower level of progress than anticipated on a range of intended projects, combined with the transition to the new capital monitoring and management structures introduced by the HSE during the course of the year.

The HSE has taken steps to strengthen its capital management capacity, including the establishment of a single national Estates function and the appointment of a new Director of Estates. The level of capital funding provided to the HSE for 2007 will support a continuing high level of investment in our public health services and will enable the completion and commissioning of many new acute and community health care facilities.